Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report on Establishing an International Space Year in 1992

Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report on Establishing an International Space Year in 1992

May 15, 1986
To the Congress of the United States:

I am pleased to submit the attached report on the desirability of establishing an International Space Year in 1992. The year 1992 will be very special indeed. It will mark not only the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' historic voyage of discovery, but also it will be the 35th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year, which ushered in the space age.

A major objective of an International Space Year should be to maximize, through international cooperation, the achievements and benefits of the current and prospective space programs of the participating world community. Such efforts should emphasize the involvement of both the developed countries and the developing countries in ways that demonstrate the benefits to everyone from discoveries in space science and the practical utilization of space.

In consulting the space agencies of other nations, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration found substantial international support for the idea of an International Space Year.

I am directing NASA to continue to lead an interagency effort to develop the idea of an International Space Year so that the United States will be fully prepared to move this concept forward internationally. I would also expect the National Academy of Sciences to play a key role in focussing discussion within the United States' scientific community regarding the scientific content of an International Space Year.